Loose-leaf book.



W. H. B AYLBS. LOOSE LEAF BOOK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4. 1906.

944,653, Patented neues, 1909.

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WILLIAM HARRISON BAYLES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOOSE-LEAF BOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

Application led August 4, 1906. Serial No. 329,144.

-useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Books,

of which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of the same.

Figure l, is a perspective view of a book embodying my invention: Fig.2, is a side elevation of such a book with the leaves in the positionthey assume when the book is taken in hand for the purpose of finding agiven interior page thereof; Fig. 3, is a vertical, longitudinal,sectional view, on line 3 3 of Iiig. l, but showing a portion only ofthe book; Fig. l, is a plan view of the plate piece, and the binders,showing the closing arches of the binders, in the positions they assumewhen they are opened for the reception or removal' of leaves.

My invention relates to loose-leaf books and it consists in the mannerin which and means by which the leaves are secured in place.

In the book shown, 5, 5, are the covers of the book, G, is the back, and7, are the usual flexible hinges of the back, which permit the front orback cover to be raised. 8, is a metal strip, usually about an inch orless in width, and nearly as long as the cover is from top to bottom. Itis connected to the cover or the back, usually at the joint 7, betweenthe bottom cover and the back, by a flexible hinge 9, preferably ofcloth. Seated in the plate or strip 8, and secured thereto are posts l0,-11 &c., and I prefer to have at least four (t) and as many more couplesas may be required to rrnly hold the leaves. If the book is very long,there may be six (G) or eight (8) or even more. The rear posts l0, arepreferably hollow, and the front posts 11, may be. If not hollow, theyare preferably recessed for a distance from theirl upper ends forapurpose to be described. Flat arches or staples 12, are provided, therear legs of which are seated and secured in the hollow posts 10, andthe front legs of which are adapted to seat themselves in the recessesin the upper ends of posts 11, the dimensions of the staple being suchas to permit such adjustment. The particular means by which the staplesare secured are not important, provided they are left free to turn andto slide up and down to a limited degree. Y

Surrounding the rear leg of the staples, preferably within the hollowpost l0, and secured to staple l2, and to post l0, or plate S, aresprings la. I have shown them as coil springs, coiled around a reducedpor.- tion of staple 12, and soldered to it and to t-he post l0. Thepurpose of the springs is twofold, first to hold the staple down, sothat its front leg shall remain in therecess vof post ll, thoughpermitting it to be raised sufficiently to clear the top of post ll,when desired; and second, to throw the staple around when it is raisedout of the recess in post ll, that it may be out of the way when leavesare to be removed from or placed upon the posts ll.

The operation, (manifest from a view of the drawings) is as follows:)Vith the staples in the positions shown in Fig. 4, the loose sheets,perforated to it over posts ll, are placed thereon. rIhen the staplesare lifted and swung around till their short legs register with therecesses in posts ll, when the springs 14, if permitted, will draw thestaples down and force their ends into said recesses, thus locking thesheets in place.

The punched holes in the sheets are, preferably, located a distance fromthe edge, a little less than half that from posts l0, to posts 1l, theresult of which is that any por tion of the leaves may, at will, belthrown over so that they are held by posts 10, the balance being-stillheld by post ll, and each portion will lie entirely flat, and remain so,so that one may refer to a page without holding it open and may writeupon the entire surface of the side which is upper without the necessityof leaving the margin, which all ordinarily bound sheets must have, andwithout the inconvenience which is ever pres ent when a sheet, that iscurved or bent, is to be written upon. This facility, as will be noted,is equally present as to each side of the sheet, for if the desire be towrite upon the side which is now the under side, it is merely necessaryto turn the leaf over till it is held by the other post, when said otherside will be uppermost. It will then lie flat and may be written uponwith the saine facility which attended writing upon the face that waspreviously uppermost. The reading of what may have been written uponeither side is equally convenient. Not only so, but the turning of thepages, to find llO a given one, is particularly easy: The plate carryingthe posts and leaves being hinged at one edge only to the hinge cornerof the cover, may be readily turned up to the position of Fig. 2, whenthe leaves may be easily and rapidly passed under the thumb forexamination.

If an additional leaf is needed, for instance, one supplemental to onealready present, and for that reason or any other it is desirable thatit should fol-low a given page, all that is necessary is to turn to thepage to be succeeded by the new, throw it and the preceding leaves overupon posts l0,

raise the staples, (which will instantly spring out of the way, to thepositions of Fig. 4L), place the new page, replace the staples, and thenew leaf is immediately secured in proper' position. To prevent thewithdrawal of the staple to such a degree as to unduly strain thespring, a bead may be turned in the tube of posts l0, as shown in Fig.8, which will effectively prevent such excessive movement.

A small pocket may be formed at the back of the cover to receive cardbearing index letters or any other designation desired.

This book may be used to take the place of a card index, the leavesanswering to the cards, and bearing such index numbers, colors or marksas are common in a set of index cards. They are much more readilyhandled than a drawer full of cards, and, being thinner, occupy muchless space, are much more readily consulted, as already shown, and aremuch less expensive, being at the saine time much more readilytransferred from one place to another and susceptible of being kept inany desk or any table or other place without the necessity for aspecially constructed receptacle, as required for cards. They are alsoequally adapted for use with large sheets of any and every character.

that I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

I. In a loose-leaf book, the combination {a4/issie of two posts securedto the cover, each provided with a hollow space, a staple with legs of acover, a plate secured to said cover by A an edge hinge, two postssecured to said plate each provided with a hollow space, a staple withlegs adapted to enter and rest in l said hollow spaces in the posts, anda spring connected to the post and to the staple, with its stressopposed to the lifting of the staple, and to the alineinent of thestaple in place from one post to the other, all substantially as setforth.

3. In a loose-leaf book, a cover with two sides, and a back joinedthereto by two joints, a plate secured to said cover, at one joint, byan edge hinge, a hollow post secured to said plate, a second post with asocket recess at its upper end, secured to said plate in line with butat a distance from the lirst post, a flat topped staple provided withtwo legs, one of which short and is adapted to rest removably in thesocket recess of the second post and the second of which is adapted torest in and turn within the first post, and a spring surrounding saidsecond leg, vithin the hollow of the first post, and secured to the postand the leg, with its stress opposed to the lifting of the staple and tothe alineinent of the staple, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 31st day of July, 1906.

IVM. HARRISON BAYLES. lVitnesses A. G. N. VERMiLYA, ViLLAM K.GiLoiinis'i.

